peer review

Question 1

what is peer review

Answer 1

assessment of scientific work by people in the same field to make sure it is published of a high quality

Question 2

3 main purposes of peer review

Answer 2

-to validate the relevance+quality of the research to prevent fraudulence
-to suggest amendments+improvements to the research
-to know which research is worthwhile for funding

Question 3

evaluation- peer review
criticism: anonymity (3)

Answer 3

-reviewers tend to remain anonymous as it’s more likely to produce more honest appeal
-a minority of reviewers use anonymity to criticise rival researchers as there’s lots of competition for funding
-due to this some journals started open reviewing

Question 4

evaluation- peer review
criticism: publication bias (3)

Answer 4

-editors produce ‘headline grabbing’ and positive results as its more appealing
-causes file drawer effect
-this causes misconceptions of the current state of psychology

Question 5

evaluation- peer review
criticism: suppressing opposition to mainstream theory (4)

Answer 5

-wanting to maintain the status quo in scientific fields
-reviewers are critical of research that contradicts their own view
-established scientists are more likely to be reviewers as mainstream findings are more likely to be published, rather than new and challenging ideas
-peer review can slow down the rate of change in some scientific fields